Interchangeable furniture skirt

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is an interchangeable furniture skirt including a fitted base member tailored to fit a box spring, and a skirt removably engagable to the fitted base member with a slide fastener.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of United States Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/514,163, filed 24 Oct. 2003.

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to furniture accessories, and, more particularly, to interchangeable ruffles and skirts for use with furniture, especially box springs and the like.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Many types of furniture, such as chairs and sofas, incorporate skirts, which provide not only an attractive appearance but also prevent dust from collecting underneath the furniture. Some skirts are permanently attached, whereas others are removable so that they may be washed and replaced as needed.

Of particular concern are skirts that are used with beds. Such skirts incorporate a base member positionable atop a box spring, and a skirt attached to three marginal edges of the base member, in which the skirt depends from the base member covering the front end and the sides of the box spring. Some bed skirts incorporate a base member and a skirt that is removably attached to the base member, for permitting the skirt to be conveniently removed and replaced with a new skirt, or removed for maintenance or washing and then conveniently reattached. Although skilled artisans have devoted considerable effort toward improving bed skirts of the type having base members with removably engagable skirts, such bed skirts are difficult to install, and shift along the box spring during use making the bed skirt appear crooked and unsightly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Disclosed is a furniture article including a rectangular box spring having an upper major face, an opposing lower major face, opposing front and rear ends each defining an end length of the box spring, opposing first and second sides each defining a side length of the box spring, a continuous upper corner where the upper major face meets the opposing front and rear ends and the opposing first and second sides, and a continuous lower corner where the lower major face meets the opposing front and rear ends and the opposing first and second sides. A fitted base member, which is tailored to fit the box spring, covers the upper major face of the box spring, the opposing front and rear ends of the box spring, the opposing first and second sides of the box spring, and a continuous area of the lower major face of the box spring inboard of the continuous lower corner of the box spring leaving exposed a central area of the lower major face of the box spring. The fitted base member has a continuous upper corner in juxtaposition with the continuous upper corner of the box spring, and a continuous lower corner in juxtaposition with the continuous lower corner of the box spring. A skirt has a length substantially equal to the combined length of the end length of the front end of the box spring, the side length of the first side of the box spring, and the side length of the second side of the box spring. A slide fastener is provided for attaching the skirt to the continuous upper corner of the base member, in which the skirt extends along the end length of the front end of the box spring, the side length of the first side of the box spring, and the side length of the second side of the box spring. The skirt overlies the front end of the box spring and the opposing first and second sides of the box spring. Preferably, the slide fastener is a zipper.

Another embodiment of a furniture article includes a rectangular box spring having an upper major face, an opposing lower major face, opposing front and rear ends each defining an end length of the box spring, opposing first and second sides each defining a side length of the box spring, a continuous upper corner where the upper major face meets the opposing front and rear ends and the opposing first and second sides, and a continuous lower corner where the lower major face meets the opposing front and rear ends and the opposing first and second sides. A fitted base member, which is tailored to fit the box spring, is fitted on the box spring and includes a main wall positioned atop and covering the upper major face, and an inwardly directed parametric flange overlying and covering a continuous area of the lower major face of the box spring inboard of the lower corner of the box spring, in which the inwardly directed parametric flange terminates with a continuous, elastic edge bounding an opening leaving exposed a central area of the lower major face of the box spring. A continuous sidewall of the fitted base member joins the main wall to the inwardly directed parametric flange and overlies and covers the opposing front and rear ends of the box spring and the opposing first and second sides of the box spring. The fitted base member has a continuous upper corner where the continuous sidewall meets the main wall, in which the continuous upper corner of the fitted base member is in juxtaposition with the continuous upper corner of the box spring. The fitted base member also has a continuous lower corner where the continuous sidewall meets the inwardly directed parametric flange, in which the continuous lower corner of the fitted base member is in juxtaposition with the continuous lower corner of the box spring. A skirt has a length substantially equal to the combined length of the end length of the front end of the box spring, the side length of the first side of the box spring, and the side length of the second side of the box spring. A slide fastener is provided for attaching the skirt to the upper corner of the base member, in which the skirt extends along the end length of the front end of the box spring, the side length of the first side of the box spring, and the side length of the second side of the box spring. The skirt overlies the front end of the box spring and the opposing first and second sides of the box spring. Preferably, the slide fastener is a zipper.

Yet another embodiment of the invention is a furniture accessory including a fitted base member tailored to fit a box spring, and a skirt. The fitted base member includes a main wall, and an inwardly directed parametric flange opposing the main wall and terminating with a continuous, elastic edge bounding an opening underlying the main wall. A continuous sidewall joins the main wall to the inwardly directed parametric flange. The fitted base member has a continuous upper corner where the continuous sidewall meets the main wall. The continuous upper corner includes opposing parallel front and rear corners, each having a length, and opposing parallel side corners, each having a length. The fitted base member also includes a continuous lower corner where the continuous sidewall meets the inwardly directed parametric flange. A slide fastener is provided for attaching the skirt to the front corner and to the opposing side corners, in which the skirt extends along the entire lengths of the opposing side corners, respectively, and the front corner. Preferably, the slide fastener is a zipper.

Consistent with the foregoing summary of preferred embodiments of the invention and the ensuing disclosure, which are to be taken together, the invention also contemplates associated apparatus and method embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring to the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a furniture accessory including a fitted base member fitted to a box spring of a bed and a skirt shown as it would appear being attached to the fitted base member forming a furniture article, in accordance with the principle of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the furniture article of FIG. 1 including the mattress, the box spring, the fitted base member detached from the box spring, and the skirt detached from the fitted base member;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the furniture article of FIG. 1 including the mattress, the box spring, the fitted base member attached to the box spring;

FIG. 4 is a bottom perspective view of the furniture article of FIG. 1 including the fitted base member attached to the box spring, the mattress positioned atop the box spring, and a fragmented perspective view of the skirt shown attached to the fitted base member;

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmented perspective view of the furniture article of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Turning now to the drawings, in which like reference characters indicate corresponding elements throughout the several views, attention is first directed to FIG. 1, in which there is seen a furniture accessory 10 including a fitted base member 11 tailored to fit a box spring, and a skirt 12 removably engagable to fitted base member 11. In FIG. 1, fitted base member 11 is fitted onto a box spring fitted onto a bed frame 13. The box spring is covered by fitted base member 11 in FIG. 1, and is not denoted with a reference character in FIG. 1 because it is covered and not visible. Box spring is denoted at 20 in FIGS. 2, 4, 5, and 6. A mattress 14 is positioned atop the box spring, which is fitted with fitted base member 11, and skirt 12 is shown in the process of being attached to fitted base member 11 and depending downwardly therefrom so as to cover the sides and the front end or foot of the box spring and extending downwardly toward the floor providing an aesthetically pleasing appearance and preventing dust and other foreign objects from collecting underneath the box spring. The combination in FIG. 1 of furniture accessory 10, the box spring, bed frame 13, and mattress 14 constitutes a bed, which is a furniture article denoted generally at 16.

Referring to FIG. 2, box spring 20 is shown, which is generally rectangular in shape including an upper major face 21, an opposing lower major face 22, opposing front and rear ends 23 and 24, each defining an end length of box spring 20, opposing sides 25 and 26, each defining a side length of box spring 20, a continuous upper corner 27 where upper major face 21 meets opposing front and rear ends 23 and 24 and opposing sides 25 and 26, and a continuous lower corner 28 where lower major face 22 meets opposing front and rear ends 23 and 24 and opposing sides 25 and 26. Front end 23 is considered the foot of box spring 20, and rear end 24 is considered the head of box spring 20.

Box spring 20 is intended to be generally representative of a typical box spring. Details of box spring 20 not specifically illustrated and described will be readily understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art. Box spring 20 is discussed in FIGS. 1 and 3, even though it is not visible because it is covered with fitted base member 11. Also, the reference characters in connection with the box spring 20 are also denoted in the ensuing discussions of FIGS. 1 and 3 for clarity even though the reference characters are not present in FIGS. 1 and 3 where box spring 20 is not visible.

Fitted base member 11 is fashioned of woven and/or non-woven fabric, such as cotton, polyester, or the like, or a combination of two or more selected fabrics or fabric-like material. Fitted base member 11 can, if desired, be made of other materials or combinations of materials, including rubber-like material or other material having elastomeric properties. Furthermore, fitted base member 11 may be fashioned of a single piece of material, or a combination of two or more pieces of material joined, for instance, by sewing and/or gluing.

Referring in relevant part to FIGS. 2-6, fitted base member includes a main wall 30, and an inwardly directed parametric flange 31 (FIGS. 4 and 5) opposing main wall 30 and terminating with a continuous, elastic edge 32 bounding an opening 33 (FIGS. 4 and 5) underlying main wall 30. Fitted base member 30 also includes a continuous sidewall 40, which joins main wall 30 to inwardly directed parametric flange 31. Fitted base member 11 has a continuous upper corner 41 or fold line where continuous sidewall 40 meets main wall 30, and an opposing continuous lower corner 42 or fold line where continuous sidewall 40 meets inwardly directed parametric flange 31.

Continuous upper corner 41 includes, for the purposes of this disclosure, opposing parallel front and rear corners 41A and 41B, each having a length, and opposing parallel side corners 41C and 41D, each having a length. Like continuous upper corner 41, continuous lower corner 42 has opposing parallel front and rear corners 42A and 42B, and opposing parallel side corners 42C and 42D. Front corner 41A of continuous upper corner 41 opposes and is parallel to front corner 42A of continuous lower corner 42, rear corner 41B of continuous upper corner 41 opposes and is parallel to rear corner 42B of continuous lower corner 42, side corner 41C of continuous upper corner 41 opposes and is parallel to side corner 42C of continuous lower corner 42, and side corner 41D of continuous upper corner 41 opposes and is parallel to side corner 42D of continuous lower corner 42.

Skirt 12 consists of an elongate, rectangular length of decorative fabric material, and any desired fabric material may be used for skirt 12. Preferably, skirt 12 is fashioned with decorative pleats, but this is not essential. A slide fastener 45 is provided for attaching skirt 12 to front corner 41A and to opposing side corners 41C and 41D, in which when attached by slide fastener 45 skirt 12 extends along the entire lengths of opposing side corners 41C and 41D, respectively, and front corner 41A. Slide fastener 45 is a conventional zipper including a slide fastener component 45A attached, such as by stitching, to corners 41A, 41C, 41D of continuous upper corner 41, a complemental slide fastener component 45B attached, such as by stitching, to an edge of skirt 12 along the entire length thereof, and a zipper pull 45C used to join and secure slide fastener component 45A to complemental slide fastener component 45B. The length of slide fastener component 45A is equal to the length of slide fastener component 45B. Accordingly, it is evident that skirt 12 can be quickly and easily installed in place to fitted base member 11, and removed for laundering or interchange. Slide fastener 45 is generally representative of a conventional slide fastener or zipper, and it is to be understood that any conventional slide fastener or zipper system can be used with the invention for removably attaching skirt 12 to fitted base member 11 without departing from the teachings presented herein.

Fitted base member 11 is, as previously intimated, tailored to fit box spring 20 in a manner generally similar to the way a fitted sheet fits a mattress, and is mounted to box spring 20 in much the same matter as a fitted sheet is mounted to a mattress, namely, by stretching it over box spring 20.

FIGS. 3, 4, 5, and 6 illustrate fitted base member 11 as it would appear attached to box spring 20, wherein box spring 20 is not visible in FIG. 3 because it is covered by fitted base member 11. Properly fitted on box spring 20, main wall 30 is positioned atop and covers upper major face 21, and inwardly directed parametric flange 31 overlies a continuous area 50 (see FIG. 5) of lower major face 22 inboard of continuous lower corner 48, and inwardly directed parametric flange 31 terminates with continuous, elastic-edge 32 bound opening 33 exposing a central area of lower major face 22 of box spring 20 as seen in FIGS. 4 and 5. Continuous sidewall 40 of fitted base member 11, which joins main wall 30 to inwardly directed parametric flange 31, overlies and covers opposing front and rear ends 23 and 24 of box spring 20 and opposing sides 25 and 26 of box spring 20. So fitted, and with reference to FIG. 5, continuous upper corner 41 is in juxtaposition with continuous upper corner 27 of box spring 20, and continuous lower corner 42 of fitted base member 11 is in juxtaposition with continuous lower corner 28 of box spring 20. It is evident that continuous sidewall 40, inwardly directed parametric flange 31 and the opposing portions of main wall 30 form, as denoted in FIG. 5, a continuous, inwardly-directed parametric pocket 51 for receiving front and rear ends 23 and 24 and sides 25 and 26 of box spring 20, which together with the elastic nature of continuous elastic edge 32 functions to securely hold fitted base member 11 in place and prevent fitted base member 11 from shifting and bunching up during use. Also, the material used to fashion fitted base member 11 can possess a rough, coarse, or textured surface for further preventing it from shifting during use, and from bunching up.

Box spring 20 can be of varying size, such as full, double, queen, or king. Furniture accessory 10 can be appropriately sized for fitting the size of the box spring that it is to be used with.

It is to be understood that skirt 12 has a length substantially equal to the combined length of the end length of front end 23 of box spring 20, the side length of the first side 25 of box spring 20, and the side length of side 26 of box spring 20. Slide fastener 45 is used to attach skirt 12 to fitted base member 11, in which skirt 12, as depicted generally in FIG. 1, extends along the end length of front end 23 of box spring 20, the side length of side 25 of box spring 20, and the side length of side 26 of box spring 20, in which skirt 12 hangs downwardly covering or otherwise overlying front end 23 of box spring 20 and opposing sides 25 and 26 of box spring 20, thus providing a desired decorative affect and preventing dust from collecting under box spring 20, or otherwise under the bed of which box spring 20 forms a part as in FIG. 1. The fitted nature of fitted base member 11, as herein specifically described, is essential because it prevents fitted base member 11, and thus skirt 12, from shifting and becoming crooked and unsightly, which has been a longstanding problem in the art of bed skirts.

The present invention is described above with reference to a preferred embodiment. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that changes and modifications may be made in the described embodiment without departing from the nature and scope of the present invention. Various changes and modifications to the embodiment herein chosen for purposes of illustration will readily occur to those skilled in the art. To the extent that such modifications and variations do not depart from the spirit of the invention, they are intended to be included within the scope thereof.

Having fully described the invention in such clear and concise terms as to enable those skilled in the art to understand and practice the same, the invention claimed is: 

1. A furniture article, comprising: a rectangular box spring having an upper major face, an opposing lower major face, opposing front and rear ends each defining an end length of the box spring, opposing first and second sides each defining a side length of the box spring, a continuous upper corner where the upper major face meets the opposing front and rear ends and the opposing first and second sides, and a continuous lower corner where the lower major face meets the opposing front and rear ends and the opposing first and second sides; a fitted base member tailored to fit the box spring, the fitted base member covering the upper major face of the box spring, the opposing front and rear ends of the box spring, the opposing first and second sides of the box spring, and a continuous area of the lower major face of the box spring inboard of the continuous lower corner of the box spring leaving exposed a central area of the lower major face of the box spring; the fitted base member having a continuous upper corner in juxtaposition with the continuous upper corner of the box spring, and a continuous lower corner in juxtaposition with the continuous lower corner of the box spring; a skirt having a length substantially equal to the combined length of the end length of the front end of the box spring, the side length of the first side of the box spring, and the side length of the second side of the box spring; and a slide fastener for attaching the skirt to the continuous upper corner of the base member, the skirt extending along the end length of the front end of the box spring, the side length of the first side of the box spring, and the side length of the second side of the box spring, in which the skirt overlies the front end of the box spring and the opposing first and second sides of the box spring.
 2. The furniture article of claim 1, wherein the slide fastener is a zipper.
 3. A furniture article, comprising: a rectangular box spring having an upper major face, an opposing lower major face, opposing front and rear ends each defining an end length of the box spring, opposing first and second sides each defining a side length of the box spring, a continuous upper corner where the upper major face meets the opposing front and rear ends and the opposing first and second sides, and a continuous lower corner where the lower major face meets the opposing front and rear ends and the opposing first and second sides; a fitted base member tailored to fit the box spring, the fitted base member fitted on the box spring and including: a main wall positioned atop the upper major face, an inwardly directed parametric flange overlying a continuous area of the lower major face of the box spring inboard of the lower corner of the box spring, the inwardly directed parametric flange terminating with a continuous, elastic edge bounding an opening leaving exposed a central area of the lower major face of the box spring, a continuous sidewall joining the main wall to the inwardly directed parametric flange and overlying the opposing front and rear ends of the box spring and the opposing first and second sides of the box spring, a continuous upper corner of the fitted base member where the continuous sidewall meets the main wall, the continuous upper corner of the fitted base member in juxtaposition with the continuous upper corner of the box spring, and a continuous lower corner of the fitted base member where the continuous sidewall meets the inwardly directed parametric flange, the continuous lower corner of the fitted base member in juxtaposition with the continuous lower corner of the box spring; a skirt having a length substantially equal to the combined length of the end length of the front end of the box spring, the side length of the first side of the box spring, and the side length of the second side of the box spring; and a slide fastener for attaching the skirt to the upper corner of the base member, the skirt extending along the end length of the front end of the box spring, the side length of the first side of the box spring, and the side length of the second side of the box spring, in which the skirt overlies the front end of the box spring and the opposing first and second sides of the box spring.
 4. The furniture article of claim 3, wherein the slide fastener is a zipper.
 5. A furniture accessory, comprising: a fitted base member tailored to fit a box spring, the fitted base member including: a main wall, an inwardly directed parametric flange opposing the main wall and terminating with a continuous, elastic edge bounding an opening underlying the main wall, a continuous sidewall joining the main wall to the inwardly directed parametric flange, a continuous upper corner of the fitted base member where the continuous sidewall meets the main wall, the continuous upper corner including opposing front and rear corners, each having a length, and opposing side corners, each having a length, and a continuous lower corner of the fitted base member where the continuous sidewall meets the inwardly directed parametric flange; a skirt; and a slide fastener for attaching the skirt to the front corner and to the opposing side corners, the skirt extending along the entire lengths of the opposing side corners, respectively, and the front corner.
 6. The furniture accessory of claim 5, wherein the slide fastener is a zipper. 